Top Dentists Weigh in on the Microbead Controversy

By now, everyone knows plastic microbeads are bad for the environment, and companies like P&G, Unilever, and Johnson & Johnson have already begun phasing them out of their products. But a recent blog post by a dental hygienist brought up another interesting point: Could the blue plastic beads in toothpaste, which are added for purely aesthetic reasons, get lodged between teeth and gums, becoming potentially harmful to your health? We talked to top dentists to find out.

Their conclusion: Maybe—but it's not likely. There have been no studies about the effect of microbeads on teeth, so there's no solid evidence that they could have an adverse effect. The American Dental Association has published a statement saying, "At this time, clinically relevant dental health studies do not indicate that the Seal should be removed from toothpastes that contain polyethylene microbeads."

Aside from spotting them on the surface of teeth and gums, as the blogging hygienist did, the dentists we interviewed hadn't seen an inflammatory gum problem caused by a microbead, at least yet. "It would be difficult for a bead to get stuck in the sulcus, the space between tooth and gum," says Marc Lowenberg, a dentist in New York City. Nevertheless, he adds, "I personally would never brush my teeth with something that had plastic in it. The whole concept is bizarre to me."

Michael Apa, another New York City dentist, doesn't rule out the possibility that a microbead could lead to trouble: "If a patient had a periodontal disease, swollen gums, or pocketing, it would be possible in theory," he says. And Nicholas Toscano, a New York City periodontist who has extracted poppy seeds that were lodged in patients' gums, doesn't see why the same thing couldn't happen with a microbead, although he has never seen it in his practice. Speaking hypothetically, he says such a case could possibly lead to an abscess or even tooth loss.

Regardless, many of the toothpastes that do have microbeads in them won't for much longer. P&G, the makers of Crest, issued a statement saying, "We understand that preferences change, so we have begun removing microbeads from our toothpastes, and the majority of our product volume will be microbead-free by March 2015. We will complete our removal process and all Crest products will be microbead-free by March 2016."